John Mellencamp, Kool & the Gang members among 2018 Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees

John Mellencamp and Kool & the Gang members Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown and James “JT” Taylor are among the artists who’ve been chosen for induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year.

The honorees will be recognized at the organization’s 49th annual induction and awards dinner, scheduled to take place June 14 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.

Mellencamp has written and recorded more than 20 top 40 hits, including “Jack and Diane,” “Small Town,” “Crumblin Down,” “The Authority Song,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” “Paper in Fire,” and “Pink Houses.” He was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

Kool & the Gang’s official debut as a group took place in 1969 with the release of their self-titled first album. Popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the band’s many hits include “Hollywood Swinging,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Higher Plane,” “Ladies’ Night,” “Cherish,” and the chart-topping smash “Celebration,” which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.

Also being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018 is Allee Willis, who co-wrote Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” and “Boogie Wonderland,” The Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance,” the Pet Shop Boys/Dusty Springfield duet “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” and the theme to Friends, “I’ll Be There for You.”

Other honorees include R&B and rap hitmaker Jermaine Dupree, country artists Alan Jackson and “Whisperin'” Bill Anderson, and prolific country and pop songwriter Steve Dorff.

For information on tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event, visit SongHall.org.